The Uniquely French Open

The Eiffel Tower isn’t the only thing that makes the French Open unique among the Grand Slams.

The French Open is, well, French. That’s self-evident, but also makes it special. As Tom Perrotta pointed out this week, it’s the only Grand Slam tournament hosted in a nation where English isn’t the primary language. That’s one of a few small things that make this tournament a little different from other majors. Here, for visitors arriving for the final weekend of the tournament, are three little ways Roland Garros stands out:

• Not only is French the main language here, it’s nearly the only one. Even many ushers and other staffers can’t answer questions in English. The scoreboards are in French, so a women’s singles match features “simple dames.” The umpires call out the score in French, with another twist: The first deuce of a game is announced as 40-all in French (“quarante-à”). Umpires also make announcements to the crowd — admonishing them, for instance, to be quiet during play — in French only, which isn’t ideal for non-Francophone compliance. Players, of course, are free to debate with chair umpires in English.

“All spectator announcements, scores, on-court information announcements, etc. are generally made in French,” said Emmanuelle Leonetti, spokeswoman for the Fédération Française de Tennis. “Foreign umpires endeavor to make these announcements in French. The players and umpires tend to communicate in English.”

English, however, does make some curious appearances. Umpires sometimes say “new balls,” “not up” — when a player hits a ball after two bounces — and “Ready, play.” Also, after players give on-court interviews in French, someone comes over the public-address system to translate into English — often a voice of someone of the opposite gender, who tends to give a very abridged version.

Helmets aren’t required by law in Paris, and many local cyclists don’t use them. The numbers who do are growing, said Albert Asséraf, executive vice-president for strategy, research & marketing of JCDecaux, which runs Vélib’. He added that the bike-share program is popular for French Open fans, with usage of the five stations closest to the Roland Garros venue doubling on a typical weekday during the tournament, and tripling on a typical weekend day. “The best way is public transport or bicycles, because you are sure to be on time and to be not far at all from Roland Garros,” Asséraf said.

Why no helmets on the grounds? “It’s forbidden for security reasons as it’s forbidden to bring them on the court,” Leonetti said. “It’s also forbidden for comfort reasons to avoid bothering the person on the next seat.” Asked what the security concern was, she replied, “The public could throw the helmet on the court and on players.”

Other majors are more permissive about helmets. “We do not have an issue with folks attending with their bike helmets,” said Chris Widmaier, spokesman for the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open. Added Erin Carter, spokeswoman for Australian Open organizers Tennis Australia, “Helmets are allowed to be brought onto the grounds.”

• France’s wines are world-famous, but good luck bringing a bottle in to the grounds. Fans aren’t allowed to bring alcohol through security — like the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, but unlike Wimbledon, where alcohol “limited to the equivalent of one bottle of wine or two 500ml cans of beer per person” can be brought through security.

At Wimbledon, alcohol can be brought to seats at show courts, but not in glass bottles. Alcohol purchased at the New York and Melbourne tournaments also can be brought to seats at stadiums, Widmaier and Carter say. But not at Roland Garros, said Leonetti, where alcohol purchased at the tournament must be consumed while sitting down and eating, as per French law governing sports venues.

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